


Shadows of Cray

by ficguard



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Crayverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 04:15:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6037711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficguard/pseuds/ficguard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A gathering storm brings the promise of new power to the Shadow Paldins, but will it be enough to maintain their hold on power? A Flash Fiction project.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated on : 27 April 2016
> 
> Added a few more words that didn't get added in properly and also outlined a few more areas. This Flash Fiction project will be updated every Friday with each chapter consisting of precisely 500 words. This is gonna be fun! Expect lots of content and once I get really rolling on it I might even increase the update frequency, which would be nice. 
> 
> See you guys on Cray!

“Shadows of Cray”

By Ficguard

Pale morning light illuminated the castle grounds. A few early risers were headed towards the training grounds, a few were still awake conducting experiments and sharing their research data. 

In the War Room, the leader sat brooding on a chair that overlooked the grounds, his dark steel helmet lay on the table, his famed blade rested in the corner near the fireplace which had only a few embers left. “Why.” he asked the empty room, his voice sounding hollow. “Why won’t he answer me anymore…” he looked above the darkened fireplace where a bust of a cruel dragon sat. “How have I angered the great dragon? Why won’t he give me strength in this upcoming battle?”

Lingering on the balcony stood a man with long red hair. His eyes burned with intensity.  _ It seems a new ruler shall rise to the heights of power.  _ He vanished in a swirl of rainbow colored light. 

Far in the north there was a large mountain, it existed in the very edge of the territory that the proud Shadow Paladins could claim. High on the mountain where the altitude made it hard for the weak to breath was a fortress. It was a sacred place where the founders of the Shadow Paladins first began to meet when they were forming their army. 

But it was not a silent place. Rumor holds that deep within the labyrinth tunnels that snake deep into the mountains the great cursed dragon slumbers, awakening only when it deems it necessary to take command of the forces that it otherwise leaves to others. But it is no longer alone, due to the ripples in time and space caused by the arrival of the powerful Gear Chronicle clans. Deep in the mountain a portal appeared and a stronger, older dragon has emerged. The dragon that represents the future of the Shadow Paladins. 

Unlike his predecessor he wasn’t content to slumber, but his arrival changed the flow of power in the Shadow Paladins and Blaster Dark could no longer summon his master. 

They were now locked into a battle against the Gold Paladins, seeking to expand their territory to the south, but even the organized might of the Shadows was no match for the whirlwind speed of the Gold Paladins and their passionate leaders. It was going to take an upheaval in order for them to claim their victory. But that power continued to elude Blaster Dark, even the mighty general Mordred had become unreachable, there were those that claimed he was seeking a spiritual revelation. A new revelation of its own was winging its way across the lightening skies, bringing with it dark clouds that promised a storm. 

Updated: Blaster Dark's eyes were scanning the heavens. He sensed a dark awakening. This was a Shadow Paladin unlike any of them have ever seen. He suddenly felt a surge of dark, malevolent power warping him. “What is this power?!” he cried as he fell to his knees.


	2. Chapter 2

The dark energy that had flowed through Blaster Dark confused him at first. It felt like Phantom Blaster Dragon but it was strange...warped. He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. They were after all about to engage in a war game with the Gold Paladins. He didn’t have time to brood on dark matters that only concerned him. A leader’s primary concern after all was the success and safety of his troops.

A large owl glided into the room, it glanced at the war leader curiously and then raised its left leg. There was a note attached to it. It was from the science division. Arianhrod detected an unusual flow of energy from the Dark Mountain. A place that only the leaders of the Shadow Paladins were permitted to go.

He rolled his eyes. Now wasn’t the time to support her flights of fancy regarding incredible power sources. After all, the magical science that they have perfected seems to do the job well enough. They wouldn’t have time to perfect a new power source and he didn’t want to get caught without the necessary tools in case the Gold Paladins decide to mount a full frontal assault against their fortress. Not that he suspected they were capable of a thing. It just wouldn’t do for a proud leader to be tucked away inside while his men spent their days slaying the enemy that kept walking in the front door.

He scribbled out a response that told Arianhrod to do her duties and curb her curiosities for now. They’ll inspect it after they’ve successfully completed their campaign to the south. He wanted that lush land for new training fields and a secondary campus for the training corp, and they were starting to run into issues with population size that expanding would easily allow them to accommodate.

The owl silently glided out of the fortress window and the knight took a deep breath. It was going to be a hard couple weeks but if they were fortunate they’d be able to break through the enemy's defenses. That damned Ezel fought like a beast but it would be nice to engage him in battle again. Lately though, he hasn’t been seen in the line of combat. Hopefully the old fool didn’t do something disrespectful like go and die by someone else’s hand.

That would just be straight up rude.

He headed down to the training grounds. When he found himself unable to think he found solace in the routine of training that the young cadets are put through. He liked to watch them exercise their drills and even was known to engage in a training exercise or two with some of the more battle-ready cadets. As he watched he felt a strange pang again, as if something wasn’t quite right in the world.. It faded as quickly as he had felt it and he found himself wondering again if he wasn’t going to lose his mind before he lost his campaign.


	3. Chapter 3

Ezel eyed his troops. It only felt like weeks ago when they were just boys wanting to fight for their clan, but now they were hardened soldiers, ready to lay down their lives at his word. He nodded. They were no longer boys, but men. He paced up and down their rank and file. He was wearing his golden armor that was complete with lion motifs that bore his title, The Incandescent Lion. 

“Men.” he said, although he didn’t shout his voice carried well, and everyone was intent on listening. “We are fighting against the Shadow Paladins for their desire to expand. They want our land but we tell them no. We have earned these lands and we will fight to keep them. They can have their cities and fortresses but the plains belong to us!” cheering erupted, he silenced it with a wave of his hand. “But their desires give them strength. We must prove to them that we will mow down anyone who threatens to take our homes away from us. Our will to live will trump their desire!” this time he let them cheer. It was, after all, good for morale. Both to hear and to give. 

“Now, let’s march on their stronghold and tear them out of it.” he gestured with his hands and a few trumpets blared the command to begin their march towards the Shadow Paladin’s fortress that bordered their territory. As they marched a bird flew off from a branch and flew in a westbound direction, swooping back towards the fortress. As it got closer lights began to dance around it and it transformed into a Shadow Paladin scout-owl. 

It landed near the science division’s headquarters. It hopped towards a small door and its eyes flashed a bright blue color. The door slid open and it hopped in. Inside was a small conveyor that carried the owl up to the laboratories. There it replayed what it had seen to the scientists, who then relayed that information to the commanding officers. It would appear that the Gold Paladins are going to bring the fight to them. 

“How convenient.” muttered Blaster Dark when he heard of this. He wanted to know what Mordred Phantom would have to say but again, nobody could reach him. It was as if he wanted to remain out of contact. Which only caused more whisperings about their former leader. Did he loose his mind? Like how Blaster Dark now felt? He raised his hand and a blast of blue energy hit a large bell in the middle of the fortress grounds. It was the call to arms. If they were coming to them he was going to bring out the fine china to meet them. 

It was going to be a long day after all. He thought they had a couple weeks before they’d meet. This changed their schedule but did not change the outcome. They would gain the lands they seek and the Gold Paladins would be certainly defeated. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted late because I was busy :O

With a whirr of mechanical gears, the large machine settled down and many people jumped off and started running towards the back of these ancient ruins. They found a small stone keypad covered over with vines and worked to quickly remove them all. They brushed away the dust of centuries and tapped in the proper sequence. With the sound of stone scraping on stone they watched as several openings all across the ruins opened. Large antenna arrays emerged on the surface and stones slid apart and allowed large gear work structures to slid out and begin moving. 

This was just the starting sequence, soon the whole ruins would be alive. Once inside they deactivated the guards and the large mechanical beasts slowed to a stop, after a moment’s consideration they moved back to their pedestals and awaited until they were needed again. The entry group was relieved to find that despite the mass amounts of time that had passed, their base of operations was still largely intact and hasn’t been messed with. Of course their guardians would have made quick work of all but the most skillful thieves. 

Who would find themselves stuck in a temporal loop unless they deactivated the security system. They quickly moved to set up large metal rings that had strange runes and gears running along the sides. This would allow their leaders to move freely between the Cray of this time and the Cray of the future. Several others began to emerge from smaller rings, some dressed in full artillery some dressed for dinner parties, soon the whole clan would emerge on Cray and they’d be able to proceed with their biggest mission. Preventing the destruction of everything. They’d do so by tracking the time-space anomalies that have begun to change the clans. It was around this time that the power began to shift. Soon even wars would end because of the sudden change.

They had to be ready for what was coming next. The next several months were crucial in preventing the crisis that they detected, the one that started everything and eventually lead to a downfall of the planet. While most who knew of them believed them to exist only in legends and fairy tales that was due to a decision made by their commander who knew that the world wasn’t ready for their vision. Their incredible mechanical and time-space altering vision. He knew they would be needed one day and that day draws near. 

Soon even the warring between the different Paladins would come to a close and the dark ambitions of others will be drawn into light. The ones responsible for the destruction of Cray will reveal themselves and will be stopped by a coalition of forces of Cray, lead by this powerful clan and their mechanical and time-space vision. Large mechanical dragons were beginning to emerge in the largest of the time rings, technicians were monitoring the gates for changes.

The return of the Gear Chronicle clan is at hand. 


End file.
